Vector, an award-winning M250 Authorized Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Center (AMROC), has teamed up with Rolls-Royce to perform 16 conversions since the VIP upgrade program was introduced in 2012.

By introducing modifications to the M250-C47B’s impeller, diffuser and first-stage turbine nozzle, the VIP upgrade enables operators to benefit from improved hot/high performance and lower direct operating costs, thanks to decreased fuel burn and reduced part attrition. During testing performed by Rolls-Royce, the VIP upgrade demonstrated a 5 percent improvement in hot/high engine performance and a 2 percent reduction in fuel burn, with no increase in engine weight.

The VIP kit also enables operators to upgrade their M250-C47B engines to the same production-standard M250-C47B/8 configuration which is installed in the current Bell 407GXP platform.

“The Rolls-Royce M250-C47B VIP upgrade is an excellent solution for customers looking to optimize performance in high-altitude, high-temperature environments,” said Craig Pluim, Vice President, Sales, Rotary-Wing. “We are delighted to add this capability to our list of MRO solutions in order to support our customers’ unique needs.”

Vector Aerospace is a member of the Rolls-Royce M250 FIRST Network, with full capability in Richmond, BC, Canada and with branch locations in Dallas, TX, USA and Fleetlands, Gosport, UK. Vector has been presented with a number of awards over the past decade for its support of the M250 family, including the Rolls-Royce FIRST Network ‘Total Quality’ award (2015 and 2012), the Rolls-Royce FIRST Network ‘Customer Satisfaction’ award (2013), the Rolls-Royce FIRST Network ‘Program Investment’ award (2012 and 2006) and the Model 250 AMC Award for Customer Satisfaction (2006).

Vector is also a Rolls-Royce Authorized Maintenance Center (AMC) for the T56/501-D turboprop, which is supported from the company’s Fleetlands, UK facility.